Textile drafting mechanism



P. B. TARBOX TEXTILE DRAFTING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

PHILIP B. TARBOX fimfijhal March 8, 196% Filed Sept. 22, 1955 [FIG March 1960 P. B. TARBOX 2,927,343

TEXTILE DRAF'TING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 22, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 22 22 INVENTOR PHILIP B. TARBOX March 8, 1960 Filed Sept. 22, 1955 P. B. TARBGX TEXTILE DRAFTING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR PHlLi P B. TARBOX TEXTILE DRAFIING MECHANISM Philip B. Tarbox, Saco, Maine, assignor to Saco-Lowell Shops, Boston, Mass, a corporation of Maine Application September 22, 1955, Serial No. 535,813

6 Claims. (Cl. 19-131) This invention relates to drafting mechanisms of the type used on spinning and roving frames and the like, and more particularly, to novel positioning and weighting structures for the upper drafting elements of drafting mechanisms of the type wherein a short upper apron cooperates to perform the drafting function with a long lower apron having an apron supporting roll and apron bar within its loop.

in any mechanism of this type, a major problem is the manner of maintaining the upper drafting elements in proper parallel alinement with their cooperating bottom rolls, since, if the parallel relationship is disturbed to such an extent that the axis of a top roll and a bottom roll no longer lie in a common plane, then the lineal contact between the two rolls becomes shortened and the drafting operation becomes erratic and generally unsatisfactory. This problem is particularly troublesome in drafting mechanisms wherein cap bars are employed for locating the upper drafting elements, since parallelism is lost as the cap bar bearing slots become Worn with use, or as the cap bar tips may be improper- 1y set.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a novel positioning and Weighting structure for upper drafting elements of the short apron type in which at least certain of said elements including the front roll are allowed freely to swing transversely sufiiciently to permit their self-alinement with their cooperating bottom rolls.

It is a feature of the invention that the apparatus provided is readily adapted for use on existing types of spinning or roving frames having a long lower apron, so that the advantages of self-alinement may be realized at least as to the most important front rolls.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view, mainly in vertical section, showing a drafting mechanism embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1; Q I

Fig. 3 is a front sectional elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view, mainly in vertical section, showing a modification of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4.

Referring to Figs. 1 through 3, the drafting mechanism of the invention in general includes a pair of front or delivery rolls, an intermediate fiber control mechanism for feeding and controlling a strand of discontinuous fibers such as cotton roving or sliver, and behind the fiber control mechanism a pair of rear or holding rolls. The fiber control mechanism itself includes as a lower unit an endless underlying fiber supporting lower apron 20 having within its loop a lower nited States Patent '0 apron driving roll 22, an apron bar 24 forward of said apron driving roll, and an apron tensioning roll (not shown) suitably mounted beneath said apron bar 24 and apron driving roll 22. Its upper unit includes an apron cradle having side members 40 and a tensor 42 extending therebetween, said cradle positioning an overlying roll and an overlying short apron 30 encircling said roll and tensor. The lower rolls, the delivery roll 12, the holding roll 16, and the lower apron driving roll 22 extend for the entire length of the spinning frame and are driven by gearing located in the end thereof. The top delivery roll, top holding roll, and top control roll are each of the two boss type wherein a pair of bosses are rotatively mounted on a normally non-rotating arbor. Thus, the top delivery roll includes bosses 14 and arbor 15 and the top holding roll bosses 18 and arbor 19. The bosses 34 of the top control roll are mounted on arbor 36 which is itself positioned at each end thereof in suitable recesses 44 in apron cradle side members '40. Suitable bearings are provided between the bosses and the arbor of each of the top rolls.

The short upper apron 30 overlies the lower apron 20 to cooperate therewith to control a strand as it passes between the aprons, both of the aprons being nipped to drive them between the apron driving roll 22 and the overlying upper roll. The apron cradle includes side members 40 spaced to fit adjacent the sides of a boss 34 to limit lateral movement of the cradle, and an apron tensor 42 having a rounded forward apron engaging edge extending between said side members at the forward portion of the cradle inside the loop of upper apron 36, the tensor 42 normally being positioned above apron bar 24 and being the sole transverse structural member extending between said side pieces. Legs 41 may be provided on said side members extending downwardly therefrom for engagement with cooperating recesses 25 in apron bar 24, such legs serving to support and aline the cradle relatively to the apron bar, or other means hereinafter described, may be used for such support and alinement. The cradle together with a boss 34 on said overlying roll, supports and guides the upper apron 30, the side members 40 of said cradle also functioning to guide the apron 30 to prevent lateral movement thereof with respect to the cradle. The recesses 44 provided on the rear edge of side members 40 engage the rotatively fixed arbor 36 of the upper roll,

while the apron 30, encircling a boss 34 and a tensor 42, firmly but removably holds the cradle and roll together, maintaining them in assembled relation both on and off the frame. The forward end of the cradle is made self-spacing to provide an accurate vertical clearance between the tensor and the lower apron bar 24 by means of a suitable lug, such as a machine screw 48 mounted on the apron tensor 42 between the roll bosses with the head thereof extending downwardly. Such construction provides an apron cradle that isentirely satisfactory from an apron guiding and supporting standpoint, and furthermore one which to a large extent keeps,

itself clean, since, primarily due to its complete lack of transverse members outside of the loop of the apron, it picks up extraordinarily little fly in operation.

According to the present invention, at least the front top roll and preferably also the rear top roll are mounted for self-alining movement in a generally horizontal plane generally parallel to a plane defined by the lines of contact of the rolls. Thus, the arbors 15 and 19 of the front and rear top rolls respectively are located by front and rear overhead saddles supported and alined respectively by the apron cradle and by a supporting bar 50 located rearwardly of the rear rolls. In more detail, the forward saddle 66 is supported by resting to permit a certain amount of transverse pivotal movement at its the spinning frame. 7 Furthermore, with such an arrangement, existing drafting mechanisms of the lower apron tends rearwardly and upwardly therefrom,- while the end of said arm having an upturned portion 54 for re,-

. ceiving the arbor 19 of the rear top roll.

'The rear saddle 56 overlies the ront saddle 60 and the rear roll, said saddle being mounted at its rear end on rear roll arbor 19 by means of a downwardly extending member 58 for contacting the rear surface of arbor 19 and preventing forward movement of the saddle, and at its forward end on forward saddle 60. Preferably said latter mounting is pivotally mounted by a pivot assembly 62 and is at a point between front roll arbor 1'5 and middle roll arbo'r 36,, i

Weight is ap lied by a weighting book 66 mounted on said rear saddle 56 bya-shaft'68, said hook being weighted by any suitable means v(not shown). The weighting hook 66 is arranged to be easily removable so thatsaid saddles may be'removed to permit the upper roll assembly to beremoved. The, cradle assembly is thus held downwardly totimaintain said screw 4t; in contact withlsaid apron bar 24. By removing the weighting saddles and hook, the entire assembly, the upper roll,

apron and cradle including its tensor and arm, may be removed from the frame. After the aprons, cradles, and

their overlying roll comprising the upper apron'assembly has been thus: removed, the assembly may be taken apron. The assembly is-put together in reverse order,

the tension of the apron alone serving to hold it gether.

, In the modification as shown in Figs. 4'and 5, the

construction is simplified in that the control roll and they rear top roll are of the. type having arbors 70 on the ends thereof for engaging slots 72in the cap .bars, the rear saddle Silhaving cutouts 82 at the rear end.-thereof for engaging; the arbor of said rear, roll between the bosses. Thus, the middle and rear top'rolls areralined.

by the capbars, the middle top-roll then serving m aline.

the cradlestructure so that, it need not be alined by the apron bar '25-, although it is vertically spaced: therefrom With such arrangement, only the front top roll is self-alining by virtue of 'the by a spacing screw as. before.

front saddle 60 resting to permit pivoting action on the cradlearm. 46. However, the front roll is by far the most important from an alignment standpoint, and by thesimplified arrangement of Figs. 4 and 5 enables the ready conversion of existing frames'to take advantage thereof 7 t t With either of these structures,-the entire upper apron type may be quickly and easily converted to a dual apron drafting mechanism simply by removing the existing top rolls and substituting therefor an upper roll, a cradle with a spacing lug to Contact the existing apron bar and apron holding the two together.

I claim:

1. A drafting mechanism of the character described including front, middle and rear sets of devices for feeding and controlling and drawing astrand of discontinuous fibers, said sets being'arranged one in advance of the other to act successively on a strand, the front and rear sets of said devices comprising bottom rolls and overlying top rolls and the middle set of said devices comprising an endless underlying strand supporting lower apron having within its loop a lower apro'n driving roll, an apron bar forward of said apron driving roll, an apron cradle: including side members, a central arm portion, and an apron tensor cxtending'between the side members at the forward portion of said cradle, a top roll and an endless .upper apron encircling said top roll and' said tensor mounted above and contacting said lower apron, a front saddle contacting and extending rearwardly from said front top roll and contacting and pressing downwardly and resting for pivoting action in a generallyv horizontal plane upon said cradlearm portion, and a rear saddle ,contacting'and extendin'gebetween said rear roll and saidfront saddle to position said front saddle, and weighting means pressing downwardly. on said rear saddle intermediate the length thereof;

2.- ,-A drafting mechanismas claimed in claim .1, where- -,in said, rear saddle .is, :pivotally mountedgon said front. saddle. I

,3. A drafting mechanism as claimed-in claim 1, wherein: said;middleandreantop rolls are supported. in cap bars attheends thereof: n

4. Adrafting mechanism asclaimedin claim 1, wherein said cradle is supported and alined from said apron bar. r t r .5. A draftingmechanism as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaidlrearftop roll is pivotally supported for swinging movement in a generally horizontalplane. 7 6. A drafting mechanism as claimed'in claim-5, wherein a reartop. roll supporting arm is mounted centrally "of said rear roll, said arm being pivotally mounted rear- 7 wa'rdly of saidrear-roll;

, keferengescited in the fileof this patent Unrrno STATES PATENTS 2,132,299., Jackson..-" Oct. 4, 1938 2,518,025, De Santis-.. Nov. 18, 1952 2,65 ,231 7 Stahlecker- Ian. 19, 1954 2, 15,557 Raibleeta1, ,,'Apr.20, 1954 2,677,858 Kuehn et a1. May 11, 1954 2,705,818 Kalwait'es Apr. 12 1955 n Q Qn r----.-Lr 19.56 2 3 R l nrMi qr-= t a t-Y --1- May; 0. 19.5.8

I FOREIGN PATENTS" 2. 04 Greath ir aiq a9. I n 13. 9

736,04 Great'Britain 

